FEATURES ARCHIVE

The Legacy
Proudly situated at the top of the hilly commune of Sauternes, Château d’Yquem produces the most famous dessert wine in the whole of Bordeaux, the famous winemaking province in the southwestern France. From 1152 to 1453 it belonged to the English crown, before passing into the hands of Charles VII, King of France. After a few further changes of hands, all French hands, it passed to the Lur-Saluces family. The most recent member to run the estate, Count Alexandre de Lur-Saluces, continued his family’s tradition of wine making with one single driving force “to preserve and defend a heritage more than 4 centuries old.” In 1999, L.V.M.H, which owns Moët & Chandon in Champagne, became major shareholders of Château d’Yquem, eventually asking Pierre Lurton to take over management of the estate in 2004. The passionate winemaker and viticulturalist has presided over several Châteaux worldwide and his experience and modern outlook provide him with all the necessary tools to uphold Château d’Yquem’s legendary reputation.

The Mystery
The warm and dry climate and the gravel-like ground of the region provides perfect conditions for the Château d’Yquem vines – 80% Sémillion and 20% Sauvignon. Thanks to the vast area covered by the estate, the vines benefit from a variety of different subsoils which adds to the complexity of the wines. The delicious wines that arise from the Château can partly be attributed to the very selective harvesting method which uses the ‘tries’ technique. The region is susceptible to high levels of Botrytic cinerea, known as the noble rot for its remarkable effect on wines. Numerous tries are undertaken each year when very skilled pickers set forth only collecting the botrytized grapes. In years where yield is low or unfruitful, the estate would rather not produce any wine at all than to produce bottles unworthy of the Château’s name.

1947
A good Château d’Yquem can last forever due to the high levels of sugar and alcohol which preserve it. There are some wine connoisseurs who would consider it a sin to open a bottle of Yquem before its 30th birthday. Just coming up to its 62nd birthday, one could argue that the magnificently rare bottle of the 1947 vintage is ripe and ready to drink, although some collectors might still resist it for a couple more years.

1986
1986 experienced a late summer with a long, delayed picking period. Combined with a period of very foggy weather this led to the production of intensely concentrated grapes resulting in a classic vintage of Château d’Yquem. Delicious to drink now, but could also be kept for another ten years or so. The golden coloured liquid is fragrant with candied fruit, dried figs, butter almonds and quince cheese creating a perfectly balanced palette.